Tales from the Hinterland was quite enjoyable. I don't usually enjoy reading anthologies, but something about fairytales, especially these ones, is an exception. Each story had its own vibe and were mostly delightfully dark in the best ways. I really like the illustrations. The red and black prints are quite the vibe. Below are my little reviews of each story.
"The Door that Wasn’t There": Liked it. One of the ones told in the series, though perhaps with more detail? Still good.
"Hansa the Traveler": Huh, neat. I wouldn’t have guessed Hansa’s tale would go like that. The main books made it seem like she was eternally a child. But, I guess cycles and all that… I liked it a lot.
"The Clockwork Bride": Uhm… yeah that was pretty neat, until the end. I don’t think there was enough characterization of Arden as a free spirit to justify that, exactly. But hey, fairytale, right?
"Jenny and the Night Women": Well… that was.. disturbing and gross. There are reasons we don’t spoil children. I was also expecting more from The Night Women, or at least some explanation as to what they actually were... sadly disappointed, but I've got this image in my head of a cross between a vampire and a banshee with a bit of fairy thrown in, if that makes sense.
"The Skinned Maiden": Nice twist on the Selkie story. Delightfully macabre.
"Alice Three Times": Much the same as in the main books, though definitely more detailed. We also finally learn the end of Alice’s tale, which was neat.
"The House Under the Stairwell": Really enjoyed that one. Sort of a cross between a “Beauty and the Beast,” “Twelve Dancing Princesses,” and some sort of more wild folklore. Pretty neat.
"Ilsa Waits": Another tale told in the main series, though fleshed out wonderfully here. I found myself kind of wishing Mort by Terry Pratchett had been more like this, with Mort learning what it actually is to be Death.
"The Sea Cellar": This one was neat. Shades of “Bluebeard” and “The Little Mermaid.”
"The Mother and the Dagger": Lovely and creepy.
"Twice-Killed Catherine": Given the context of this story in the main books, I was really expecting Katherine to be much more blood-thirsty than she ends up being. I did like this one, though.
"Death and the Woodwife": Hmmm… interesting. Quite the chill Death, here. I’m really not certain how I feel about this one, though it does at least seem to have a happy ending.
Favorite Line
"From the port she watched the water smooth into glass and purl into lace and worry itself into great waves beyond the cove."
